NBC picked the right time to assert its dominance in the TV ratings race: a "sweeps" period that networks use to set ad rates.
NBC, with eight of the top 10 shows, led the six networks with an 11.8 rating and 19 share to win for the second straight week. The network leads a tight race in the season standings.Helped by the return of 1980s icon J.R. Ewing in a movie that reunited the "Dallas" cast, CBS finished a strong second with a 10.7 rating and 17 share, Nielsen Media Research reported.
ABC was third with a 9.6/15, followed by Fox's 6.9/11. A rating point represents 970,000 households. The share is the percentage of televisions in use and tuned to a show during a specified time period.
NBC followed its familiar pattern of crushing the competition with Thursday night's "must-see-TV" lineup.
"ER" was the week's top-rated show. Part two of "Pandora's Clock" finished in the top 10, as did a "Mad About You" episode with guest stars Carol Burnett and Carroll O'Connor.
"Dallas: J.R. Returns" finished in 14th place for the week with a 13.4 rating and 23 share, prompting some speculation about the show's return as a series.
Among the emerging networks, UPN finished with a 3.7 rating and 6 share while the WB had a 2.8 rating and a 4 share.
For the week of Nov. 11-Nov. 17, the top 10 shows, their networks and ratings were: "ER," NBC, 24.7; "Seinfeld," NBC, 22.2; "Suddenly Susan," NBC, 19.1; "Friends," NBC, 18.8; "Single Guy," NBC, 16.6; "NBC Monday Night Movie: Pandora's Clock," 15.6; "Home Improvement," ABC, 15.1; "Frasier," NBC, 14.5; "Mad About You," NBC, 14.5; "Touched By an Angel, CBS, 14.3.